Birth centre and pain relief

[Sylvie]

As my pregnancy has been quite straightforward so far my midwife managed to convince me to go and visit the birth centre (situated inside the hospital, next doors to the delivery suite). I say "convince me" because I'm so terrified of labour that I want to know I have the whole range of pain relief available depending on how I cope,,, She assured me that I could be transferred to the hospital delivery rooms if I needed an epidural in the end,,, but I wonder if this is a situation that often happens
I am now quite reassured to think I will go to the birth centre as the rooms are really lovely and well equipped and as the birth pool is great (would like to use it if it's free),,, but can't help thinking at the back of my mind "and what if I want an epidural because I can't take the pain? will they let me go or will they try to keep me by any means?"
Any experiences to share?

 

[leckershell]

No experiences myself but there is a midwife led birth centre in Lichfield which a friend wanted to go to but ended up having to be induced so couldn't go. It has a good reputation for more natural births, birth pools, active labours, birthing balls, and gas and air or pain relief free births.

I was in a hospital birth pool with just gas and air and it was perfectly manageable but it obviously depends on your pain threshold. I don't think it's a case of whether they would release you to go to a hospital if you wanted pain relief, I think it's a matter of safety (depending on how quickly your labour is progressing and how long it would take to get to hospital/area with more pain relief options)... but at the end of the day it's up to you which route you'd like to go down, the more natural route or the drugs x

 

[Penstraze]

I wish I had this option it sounds like the perfect mixed of best of both worlds a nice birth in a calming environment but the choice of being able to transfer for pain relief and medical help if necessary, I am having to have baby in hospital because want the peace of mind of skilled doctors etc being on hand if needed and pain relief if I need it but would love to have a water birth to my knowledge the nearest birth center is a good way from hospital further then my house so not prepaired to take the risk of things going wrong and being too far away!

If your midwife says you would be transfered if requested then that must be the case she wouldn't lie to you but seek out reassurance that that would be the case from someone else at hospital if you need to put your mind at rest!

 

[muppetmummy]

If the hospital is so close I don't see why they wouldn't let you transfer and have an epidural if needed.

During my last labour I found pethidine and gas and air enough to get through.

This time I'm hoping to get by with just the birth pool and gas and air! I am going to a midwife unit, so there will be a morphine type drug available but no epidural!
The hospital is almost 45 mins away by ambulance, so if the morphine isn't enough I'm screwed!!

Sounds like you have the best of both worlds

 

[Sylvie]

Yeah your answers help me to realize that I'm in fact lucky to have the convenience of the birth centre IN the hospital,,, I didn't realize that some hospitals could be so far from birth centres,,,
This concept of the birth centre (which is great) is all new to me as there still is no equivalent in France where epidurals in hospitals are the norm,,, and very few people question it

 

[trixipaws]

ill be honest...

i gave birth at home so my only option was gas&air, and i had a birth pool so that too. i knew that, i thought ill be fine and the idea of epidural freaks me out a bit anyway, even in hosp i wouldnt hav wanted one.

but, right near the end when i was probably fully dilated, i remember trying to say "please, take me to hospital, put me under general anaesthetic, gimme a c-section!" coz it hurt so much! my boyf says the only words i managed were "i dont wanna do it, make it stop!"

LOL but im glad i dd it now i feel rather proud of myself when people praise me and say how brave i was i dont tell them that bit i just wrote above i just lap it up hehe! if i had another id do the same again looking back it wasnt that bad . dont worry, keep ur options open

 

[Sam24]

I had my lo at B'ham womens. Had to fight through most of my pregnancy to get in that damn birth centre (problems with low iron etc). The birth centre there is lovely and was promised if the pain got too much I could be moved to have an epi. I had meconuim in my waters so was sent straight round to the delivery suite anyway, which is literally a 2 min walk round the corridor.

 

[Sylvie]

I had my lo at B'ham womens. Had to fight through most of my pregnancy to get in that damn birth centre (problems with low iron etc). The birth centre there is lovely and was promised if the pain got too much I could be moved to have an epi. I had meconuim in my waters so was sent straight round to the delivery suite anyway, which is literally a 2 min walk round the corridor.

H Sam! Yes, that's exactly the place
As you say the conditions to be admitted into this birth centre are quite strict so I shall take it as a great opportunity if I can go

 

[debecca]

Hi again Sylvie

I'm booked in to give birth at the local midwife-based unit. I won't have access to an epidural or measures for a Caesarian but I totally fell in love with the place when I went to look round it. It feels completely calm and homely, and there are fewer than 250 births a year there so you're basically guaranteed the birthing pool and lots of attention. Plus you can stay in any amount of time up to a week and the food's all homemade (my friend says the puddings are ace!)...

If anything looks like it's going to go wrong, or I want to have more pain relief, I can tranfer to a big hospital 25 minutes away. You are lucky in that it sounds like your facilities are basically next-door so you actually have the best of both worlds!

Now I just need to hope I don't go too overdue so I can go to this place...

 

[Squiglet]

tbh... it won't matter... i went to hospital to have lil miss knowing that the only pain relief I could have was either pethidine or epidural...I refused the pethidine and demanded my epi....but never got it because by the time the anaesthetist came to set it up...lil miss was crowning...

at the time you don't think you can do it...but you can. My first daughter was born with an epi, and I remember it being much more traumatic... this time round, I had only the pain to concentrate on and it was far less, and I immediately wanted to have another baby and do it all again.. when with Tia I didn't..

But its your birth... don't be convinced to do anything you don't want by the mw...You want your epi then tell them...

 

[Sherlock]

Plus you can stay in any amount of time up to a week and the food's all homemade (my friend says the puddings are ace!)...

Pudding would win me over for sure I'd stay a week just for that

 

[Sylvie]

Plus you can stay in any amount of time up to a week and the food's all homemade (my friend says the puddings are ace!)...

Here you can only stay up to six hours but they talked about fruit smoothies and toasts and sandwiches

 

[muppetmummy]

the maternity unit I'm going to like you out within 6 hours of delivery and only have tea and toast. I feel deprived!

I'd stay in for a week if I got yummy puddings!

 

[nancy]

When I was in labour with my son there were complications so I got transferred to the other unit, it was very quick because it was just next door. I ended up having an epidural due to the fact that I needed manual removal of my placenta. I will admit I never felt a thing after it was administered but then I was paralysed from the waist down for hours afterwards. - Oh yes and the midwife on that unit told my OH to go home and sleep because that's apparently what I would be doing all afternoon. I spent all afternoon looking at my son in his cot and not being able to get to him because I couldn't move and nobody came when I rang my bell because they were busy with other complicated births. I found the whole experience very traumatic.

This time with my daughter I managed to do it all in the midwife based unit with just gas and air and it was far less traumatic than labour with my son and bonding with baby was much easier because I could actually move around and be independent. I was home by 7pm that evening though I could have stayed in longer if I'd wanted to. If you have an epidural they will have to keep you in much longer so if you don't like hospitals I would say the less drugs the better to be honest.

After having my son I said I would never go through labour again and so would have no more children but fell pregnant accidentally with my daughter. This time I was really happy with how things went, I felt much more in control and it was so chilled out. I warned my midwife that I might swear at her and get stroppy etc like I did with my son but I actually only swore once when she crowned!

In the end it's your choice but I'd go with a midwife based unit every time given a choice. x